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2019 Virginia Tornado Outbreak
The 2019 Virginia Tornado Outbreak was a very rare tornado outbreak that affected the states of Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina on May 14th, 2019. It only produced 34 tornadoes but two of them were EF4's and one was a powerful EF5, the first in the state's recorded history. 262 people lost their lives from the tornadoes and 3,565 others were injured. 3 other people were killed by straight-line winds when a tree fell on top of an SUV in North Carolina. Meteorological Synopsis On May 14th, an upper level trough that had previously tracked through the Central Great Plains and Midwest states had approached the Appalachian Mountains. This trough had produced severe storms but had yet produced any tornadoes. The day began with clear skies across the region, with a foretasted high of 88* F. The lack of cloud cover allowed for potentially high atmospheric instability, with CAPE values ranging from 2,500 to 3,000 J/kg, which is rare for this region of the country. Warm dry air had pushed in from the Carolina's, as well as cold air from the northern parts of the Appalachians, and warm air from the Atlantic. This created potential for severe thunderstorms and even tornadoes. The Storm Prediction Center issued a moderate risk for most of central and eastern Virginia, parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Delaware . A 10% chance of tornadoes with a potential risk of significant tornadoes (EF2-EF5) was also issued for Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. At 11:00 AM (EST), a tornado watch was issued for most of central Virginia and Maryland. In the early afternoon, a cold front spawned from the trough that had moved through West Virginia and had entered Virginia. The first tornadoes of the day occurred at 1:30 PM (EST) in northeastern Virginia. An EF3 tornado struck the city of Charlottesville. A dry line that was expected to form later in the afternoon had started to produce supercell thunderstorms earlier than expected at around 3:00 PM (EST). This was caused by a increase of warm moist air that had pushed in the North Carolina coast, this flow of air long with an increase of wind shear in the areas ahead of the dry line, allowed for greater potential for strong supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes. Another tornado watch was issued for eastern parts of Virginia at 2:30 PM (EST) by the Storm Prediction Center. A few minutes earlier, at 3:22 PM (EST), the first violent tornado of the outbreak touched down in Lunenburg County and struck the town of Kenbridge as a powerful EF4. More tornadoes touched down across the region as the afternoon continued, with supercells producing violent tornadoes in the cities of Richmond and Hampton Roads. The storms moved out into the Atlantic Ocean by the early morning hours. Confirmed Tornadoes Virginia Maryland North Carolina This is a WIP Notable Tornadoes Beech Grove - Charlottesville - Gordonsville ' A strong, long tracked EF3 tornado touched down northwest of the community of Beech Grove in northern Nelson County at 2:07 PM (EST). The tornado moved northeast through the mountains as an EF1 and damaged a house near its path. The tornado then increased to an EF2 as it damaged a house on Old Stony Creek Road before damaging an additional 4 homes, causing substantial roof damage and downing more trees. The tornado preceded to cause more substantial damage to homes and trees as it swept into a valley, where the tornado would cause more damage in and around the community of Greenfield as a low-end EF3. Many houses had their roofs ripped off and two buildings in the area had their outer walls blown out. The tornado continued northeast into the mountains of Albemarle County, destroying more trees and structures that were in its path. A woman was killed when her car was crushed by a fallen tree on Monacan Trail Road north of Arrowhead. The tornado then moved into the city of Charlottesville as a strong EF3, striking the southeastern suburbs. Two neighboring apartment complexes suffered major damage as well as Johnson Elementary School, where two teachers and six students were injured. Wind-speeds of 158 mph (254 km/h) were recorded at this time. The tornado continued into more neighborhoods before moving through eastern parts of downtown. Among the structures damaged, a GreenBlue train station was destroyed and the roof of the Sprint Pavilion amphitheater collapsed. The tornado caused more damage to homes and businesses in the northeastern areas of the city as an EF2 before moving over rural areas for several miles. Four people were killed and 48 others were injured within the city limits. After moving through forested areas for around 5.77 miles (9.82 km), the tornado had weakened substantially and caused minor damage to a horse stable and several other houses in the communities Cash Corner and Lindsay. An elderly man was injured when a tree fell on his house in Lindsay. The tornado then moved into Louisa County, causing more damage ranging from EF0 to EF1 as the tornado crossed both James Madison Highway and S Spotswood Trail before dissipating at 3:13 PM (EST) southeast of Gordonsville. The tornado carved a path of 47 miles (75.63 km) through the Appalachian Mountains and was on the ground for 66 minutes. A total of five people were killed and 49 people were injured. Several thousand trees were snapped or knocked down. '''Loves Hill - Kenbridge ' At 3:22 PM (EST), another torandic supercell that had previously produced significant tornadoes around the populated areas of Danville and South Boston, spawned another tornado in southern Lunenburg County. As the tornado touched down, it initially caused damage to trees and power lines before moving northeast at 45 mph. The tornado inflicted minor tree damage for three-quarters of a mile before destroying a small shed on a farm at EF1 intensity. The tornado grew in size and intensity as it continued over forested areas and farmland for two miles before striking homes near an intersection north of Loves Mill at EF3 strength. One house had its roof stripped off while other weaker buildings on the property were completely destroyed. The tornado then crossed the road and struck another house directly. The roof was ripped off and its outer walls collapsed, cars on the property were rolled over several yards, and two other houses suffered minor roof damage. The tornado continued to grow in size to a "wedge" appearance as it moved by a farm house, stripping its roof off and leveling a well built shed. A small, poorly constructed house across the street from the farm was completely swept away, moderate ground scouring occurred in a small open field nearby, and tree damage became more extreme. The tornado was judged to reached EF4 strength at this location. Then at around 3:29 PM (EST), the tornado had reached its peak width at half-a-mile wide. Two mobile homes were obliterated, killing five, and a well constructed house was stripped of its roof and back walls. One of the vehicles on the properties of the mobile homes was thrown a quarter-of-a mile. The Lunenburg County Animal Shelter was had half its roof stripped off and a nearby landfill suffered minor damage. Two more houses were leveled as they were struck directly by the tornado. Other homes and a church nearby suffered significant to severe damage. A third home was leveled with other smaller buildings on the property destroyed and another home lost half of its roof. At 3:35 PM (EST), as the tornado tracked south of the Lunenburg County Airport, the National Weather Service station based in Wakefield, VA issued a Tornado Emergency for the town of Kenbridge. The tornado then hit more homes as it neared the town limits of Kenbridge, two of which were almost swept off their foundations. The severity of the da0mage at these homes were judged to be impacted by wind speeds up to 190 mph (306 km/h). All three occupants in one of the houses were killed. Then at 3:40 PM (EST), the tornado roared through the town of Kenbridge as a strong EF4. Multiple homes on the southeast side of town were damaged or destroyed, a tobacco plant and two general stores were leveled, and a large, abandoned building had collapsed. The tornado continued into the center of town where multiple homes and business were damaged or destroyed. The tornado caused more damage on the east side of town before moving out of town, counting its northeastern track. Of the many homes that were destroyed within the town, four were swept off their foundations but they were poorly anchored to their foundations. Estimated winds speeds for the damage in Kenbridge ranged from 170 to 190 mph (273 to 306 km/h). A total of 15 people were killed in Kenbridge and 37 were injured. The tornado weakened in intensity and shrunk in size as it moved through rural areas in northeastern parts of Lunenburg County. A few homes suffered EF2 damage before it briefly moved into Brunswick County and then Nottoway County. The tornado caused minor damage a farm before crossing a lake and a highway and then dissipating at 3:51 PM (EST). The Kenbridge tornado was one of most destructive tornadoes to ever occur east of the Appalachian Mountains and it was the first tornado to be rated F4/EF4 in the state of Virginia since 2001. 23 people were killed and 37 others were injured along its 22.14 mile-long (35.6 km) path. Damage costs were estimated at $43 Million. '''Franklin - Hampton Roads Main Article: 2019 Franklin - Hampton Roads Tornado This catastrophic, long-tracked, violent EF5 tornado touched down at 4:35 PM (EST), in wooded areas 3 miles south of Little Texas in Southampton County. The tornado moved northeast at 48 mph, causing EF1 damage to homes north of the towns of Branchville and Boykins. The tornado intensified to an EF2 as struck homes in Newsoms and continued to intensify to an EF3 as it struck more farmhouses while it moved parallel to General Thomas Highway. One house suffered EF4 damage and a train was derailed. The tornado crossed the Nottoway River and narrowly missed a power plant as it moved straight towards the city of Franklin. 11 people were injured in Southampton County. The tornado struck the city of Franklin at EF4 strength, destroying several homes and businesses in the southern neighborhoods before crossing the Blackwater River causing major damage to the city's paper mill. 25 people were killed in Franklin and 82 people were injured. The tornado moved into rural parts of Isle of Wight County and the city of Suffolk, where it grew to a 1/2 mile wide. The tornado moved south of Carrsville where it caused its first swath of EF5 damage, sweeping four well-constructed homes off their foundations along Indian Trail. Severe ground scouring was also documented at this location. The tornado continued through rural Suffolk at EF4 strength, a weak and brief satellite tornado touched down parallel to Highway 58 and caused minor damage to a house. The second Tornado Emergency of the outbreak was issued for the cities of Suffolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach. The tornado then struck more populated areas of the city, causing devastating damage. Another swath of EF5 damage occurred near the suburb of Willowbrook where a church and several homes were swept off their foundations. A warehouse was leveled to a mangled pile of metal and sections of asphalt on Highway 58 were scoured. Several cars from the area were thrown up to 3/4 of a mile away and were left unrecognizable. The tornado continued through wooded areas, another brief satellite tornado occurred before the parent tornado moved pass the Hampton Roads Executive Airport and moved into the city limits of Chesapeake and Portsmouth. The tornado weakened to an EF3 and shrunk in size to 1/4 of a mile, causing severe damage within the center of its path. A shopping mall and other surrounding businesses were severely damaged. Then the tornado rapidly grew back to 1/2 a mile wide and re-intensified to an EF5 for a third time, causing catastrophic damage for three miles between Interstate 264 and 8th Street. The tornado crossed the Elizabeth River into the city of Norfolk and decreased in size to 1/5 of a mile wide and caused damage ranging from EF4 to EF2. The tornado then entered Virginia Beach, causing significant to minor damage to homes and business as it decreased in size. Then at 5:58 PM (EST), the tornado entered the Atlantic Ocean and became a waterspout, ending it 78.20 mile long path. Eyewitness accounts on ships and doppler radar indicated that the tornado continued for at least eight more miles before dissipating over open waters. 148 people were killed and 2,759 people were directly injured by the tornado within the Hampton Roads Metro area. The Franklin - Hampton Roads tornado was the first EF5 tornado to occur since the Moore 2013 tornado and it was the first to have ever occurred east of the Appalachian Mountains. It was also the deadliest tornado since the 1947 Woodard, OK tornado, overtaking the 2011 Joplin tornado as the seventh deadliest tornado in the United States with 173 confirmed fatalities. 2,852 people were also injured by the tornado. Damage costs from the tornado reached up to $3.3 Billion, making the costliest tornado in U.S. history. 'Jamestown - Williamsburg ' At 5:05 PM (EST), an EF3 tornado touched down on the shores on the Virginia Peninsula in James City County, just 1.5 Miles away from Jamestown Colony, and immediately began causing minor to moderate damage to homes. The tornado moved northeast at around 45 mph, crossing over Lake Pasbehegh and more residential areas before moving over a stretch of farmland. The tornado moved south of Jamestown High School and the Williamsburg Community Chapel before hitting more suburbs as an EF2. The tornado then struck the Clara Byrd Baker Elementary School and a church, causing mostly roof damage. Then the tornado continued into the suburbs of Druid Hills and Winston Terrance were in strengthened to an EF3, multiple houses were stripped of their roofs and outer walls. The tornado then passed over a construction site and crossed Humelsine Parkway, casing more EF3 damage to homes and businesses. Equipment around the construction site was thrown hundreds of yards. The tornado then struck Walsingham Academy, causing severe damage to the main campus building. The tornado caused more damage to homes around the area before crossing College Creek and moving into southern parts of Williamsburg. The tornado caused more EF3 damage to residential areas before striking a cemetery were multiple grave stones were knocked down or moved several feet. The tornado then struck a small stretch of greenhouses, destroying them before moving over a golf course where several trees were snapped or knocked over and a maintenance building lost its roof. The tornado then weakened to an EF2 as it crossed York Street and Merrimac Trail, cauising significant damage to homes and businesses as well as the Magruder Elementary School. The tornado continued into York County, weakening as it struck residential areas at EF1 strength. The tornado crossed Highway 64, where a few trees were knocked down onto the highway. At 5:17 PM (EST), the tornado dissipated over wooded areas around Jones Millpond, ending its 9.62 mile (15.47 km) long path. The tornado caused $50 million in damages and injured 15 people along its path. It was the first tornado to cause damage in the Williamsburg area since the Virginia Tornado Outbreak of 1993. 'Richmond - Old Church ' At 5:06 PM (EST), a rain-wrapped, violent EF4 tornado touched down in the western neighborhoods of Richmond, Virginia. The tornado initially touched down in the neighborhood of Westover, causing damage ranging from EF1 to EF2 before the tornado rapidly intensified to low-end EF4 strength as it moved through the neighborhoods of Forest View, Westover Hills, and Forest Hill. Several homes and businesses were severely damaged or leveled. Westover Hills Elementary School was badly damaged after a direct hit form the tornado, as well as a coffee shop, a music store, and a carpet store along with surrounding houses. 11 people were killed and 42 others were injured. The tornado crossed the James River and hit Texas Beach, then Riverview and Hollywood cemeteries where several gravestones were overturned or carried considerable distances. The tornado then struck the historical district of Oregon Hill where multiple houses over 200 years old were completely destroyed. The tornado preceded to move over Gambles Hill, causing substantial damage to the Ethyl Corporation Building before crossing the Downtown Expressway. Five motorists were killed and several cars were thrown long distances. Three people were killed while being caught in the storm at Hollywood Cemetery and 19 other people were injured in the Oregon Hill district. The tornado now moved into the city center district of Richmond, continuing to produce EF4 damage. A grocery store and a law firm were badly damaged as well as a parking garage. Several parked cars were overturned or thrown into other buildings. The tornado continued to cause devastating damage to large buildings, including several restaurants, hotels and bars. The Hilton Richmond Downtown motel suffered the worst damage as the entire roof was ripped off and the top floor was severely damaged. The tornado then preceded to weaken substantially to an EF2 as more buildings were damaged as it moved into the Biotech & MCV district. Many trees around the Richmond Coliseum were knocked down or snapped. The VCU Cabaniss Hall was struck directly with many windows blown out and the roof was significantly damaged. 37 people were killed in the City Center and Biotech & MCV districts and 452 people were injured. The tornado then crossed I-95 and crossed over a set of parking lots near the Richmond Juvenile Court Office and the Richmond Sheriff's Department, many cars were moved or flipped over. The tornado continued northeast where it then, briefly, re-intensified back to an EF4 as it moved through the neighborhoods of Whit Comb and Eastview. 12 homes were completely leveled as well as a baptist church. Several other homes and business suffered damage to varying degrees. The tornado continued into more neighborhoods as an EF3, causing severe damage as it moved into Henrico County. Eight people were killed in the Eastview area and an additional 38 people were injured in other surrounding neighborhoods. The tornado then proceeded to weaken to an EF1 as it continued to move northeast into Hanover County. Many houses suffered moderate roof damage and trees were snapped or knocked down. The tornado moved into the community of Woodlawn, where more damaged occurred. Three people were injured when large tree fell on a house. The tornado then moved east of the community of Old Church where it then dissipated at 5:31 PM (EST). With a peak width of 175 yards and estimated wind speeds up to 180 mph (289 km/h), the tornado killed 59 people and injured 596 people whilst causing $1.7 billion in damages across a damage path 19.80 miles (31.86 km) long. Making it the second-deadliest tornado to strike Virginia and the costliest tornado in the United States since the May 20, 2013 EF5 tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma ($2 billion). It was also the second EF4 tornado of the outbreak. Aftermath On My 15th, the day following the outbreak, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam declared the a state of emergency for the state of Virginia due to storm damage from severe thunderstorms that had occurred. President Donald Trump declared a national emergency and granted federal assistance to the areas affected. 2,500 National Guard troops were deployed to Virginia to assist in search and rescue efforts. On May 20th, President Trump and Governor Northam toured the damage in the cities of Richmond, Kenbridge, Franklin, and the Hampton Roads Metro area. Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax visited Charlottesville to tour the damage. President Trump described the damage in Suffolk and Portsmouth as "catastrophic and devastating". Category:Tornadoes Category:Outbreaks Category:Violent Tornadoes Category:Violent Outbreaks Category:Catastrophic Tornadoes Category:Catastrophic Outbreaks Category:Costly Tornadoes Category:Costly Outbreaks Category:Deadly Tornadoes Category:Deadly Outbreaks